The Courier News from Blytheville, Arkansas · Page 8

mirr BLYTHEVILLE (ARK.) COURIER NEWS THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 1954 LASTING PROBLEM ROCKY MARCIANO ...4OME- Y/HSSE IN THE COUffSC OP LONG KOUHD* &&QUH& TO CAU&HT M TWff OF* What About Mental State Challenger Bucks 54 Year Tradition * * * * * * ¥ * Half-Million Gate Is Seen NEW YORK (AP) — Izzard Charles bucks the explosive power of heavyweight king Mareiano and a 54-year-old tradition of the ring tonight in a final try to become the ex^ehampioa to regain boxing's most prized crown. The odds are 5-18 that he fails. 'It's now or never for Ezzard," looking for a 40,000 crowd and •aid Co-manager Tom Tannas. j $500,000 at the gate with a break from the weatherman. In addition to the gate recepits the fighters will share (Marciano 40 per cent, Charles 20) in close to $200,000 from the coast-to-coast 'He knows it's his last chance and he's never been so determined before. He's right on edge. I hope •we don't get any rain to spoil it." Fair, Warmer Tbe forecast is for fair and j theater-television, $35,000 from the •warmer although an earlier predic-1 ABC network radio broadcast, and tton by the weatherman called for * threat of late-evening thunder- •howers. But possible postponement which could force a week's setback of the 15-round title fight in Yankee Stadium was uppermost in the minds of the principals and promoters as they anxiously peered at the sky. A canopy was placed above the ring to ekep the canvas dry. Half Million Gate The promoting International Box- a possible bonanza from the movies if the fight is sensational. There will be no home tele- The bout will start at 8:30 p.m., CST. While Only Five of 17 the 32-year-old Charles will be seeking to accomplish what eight former champions, including himself, have failed to do, the 29- ing Club said it will go up to the year-old Marciano will be facing a ball park this evening with $400,000 j less potent heavyweight jinx. Only in the till. Promoter Jim Norris is i 5 of 17 heavyweight rulers have Craig Prep Honors Dork Leading Star Shortstops i CHICAGO (8} — Al Dark of the ! New York Giants moved into the head today for the National League's starting shortstop assignment in the 21st all star baseball game in Cleveland July 13. Dark was named on 5,437 ballots. He passed Harold (Peewee) Reese been able to get by a third defense. This is No. 3 for the Brockton Bruiser. Charles was outpointed by Jersey Joe Walcott in Philadelphia, June In the same period of time. Charles fought 104 rounds in 13 scraps. Charles has scored 53 knockouts in 97 fights. He has been stopped by Lloyd Marshall and Walcott. His overall record is 86-10-1. Rocky, in seven years of pro fighting, has a 45-0 record, 40 kayos and five decisions. Marciano probably will hit 186 pounds and Charles 189. 5, 1952. in his first effort to regain the title. Rocky's power is so respected he's rated a 5-12 choice to stop Charles. It's 6-1 that Rocky won't be stopped. Rocky has fought a total of 12 rounds since he won the title by flattening Walcott in 13 rounds in [Philadelphia Sept. 23. 1952. He racked up Walcott in one round in Chicago May 15, 1963. and then He Could Moke Early Rounds Exciting By HARRT GRAYSON NEA Sports Editor NEW YORK — (NEA) — Ezzard .Charles was literally picked out of the ashcan as a challenger of Rocky Marciano. The scheduled 15 - round fight at Yankee Stadium, June 17, is another striking example of the poverty of pugilism. Charles has had more chances than a wayward son of the rich. This is his fourth crack at the heavyweight crown. Ezzard the Gizzard has disappointed so often that it is impossible to pick him to beat the dead game Marciano, an awkward but powerful and durable fellow with a bomb in each hand. Retread Charles, 33, best illustrates how easy it is to rebuild a prize fighter these days. He qualified for the match by knocking out Coley Wallace, who 'acts better than he fights, and Bob Satterfield, who has been flattened by practically everybody but Chuck Davey. * * * Stace old Jersey Joe Walcott left Charles shell shy and for seriously dead in Pittsburgh three years ago, the erstwhile Panther proved too timid in a rematch. He also dropped a decision to Rex Layne, although the latter had definitely been es'tab- > ished a* the greatest horizontal heavyweight since Joe Becket. As recently as last August, Nino Valdes. a mediocre mauler, won from him in 10, and a month later he was trimmed by Harold Johnson, a light-heavyweight. Jo« Louis had his Bum-of-the- Month. Off his more recent record, Charles is Marciano's Bum-of-the- Year. Yet and paradoxically, Charles could be the most formidable gent Carciano has tackled. You have to go back to earlier races, as they say at the track. Before Walcott tagged him, Charles took the old pappy guy in stride, for example, and in their last outing failed to become the first heavyweight ruler to come back only because he neglected to wad* in and make it crystal clear. Charles has all the equipment All he requires against the average bloke is the urge. .The question is in what state of mind he will be in when he climbs into the ring. If he doesn't choke, as he did in the Philadelphia engagement with Old Man Walcott, the first eight or nine rounds may be something to get excited about. After 24 minutes or so of combat, however, the rust should be pretty well cleaned off Marciano, who has had only 11 rounds of actual fighting in a prize ring in 21 months. The Brockton Block Buster should then go to work cleaning up Charles. Many seasoned observers have yet to be convinced that the clumsy Marciano is a topnotch heavyweight, but he can take it till the gentle bovines wend their way home and the roof may cave in at any second. Blocking The Rock's deadening punches hurt. Charley Goldman taught ihm the swings to the other guy's muscles. That and body belts in the clinches leave the other fellow with leaden arms. Ezzard Charles had had too many opportunities. It's about time he ran out of them. Fight Managers in Top Shape, But They'll Let Boys Do Fighting (Last of three dispatches) By JIMMY BRESL1N NEA Staff Correspondent MONTICELLO, N. Y. — (NEA) — Jake Mintz fearlessly went against his doctor's orders and dug into a piece of gefuelte fish. Then he put down his fork and addressed the writers at the table. "Ain't my Ezzard the best short hand favorite you ever seen?" Reminded that he meant short end, Jake brushed it off. "Don't matter. I'm tellin' you the fighter I manage, Ezzard Charles, is gonna win. I've never been better confident about a thing." Mintz was doing his job. This was the manager in training. Unafraid, unabashed and unquiet. * * * At approximately 10 P.M. Jake, along with his partner, Tom Tannas, will get out of the ring and let their fighter manage for himself. On the other side of the ring, Al Weill will usher his slightly sensational build through the ropes for a mad waddle to safety—and a lot of nervous rooting for Rocky Marciano. The three, will reappear only when the action has been halted, positively. But you'd never know it now. All three are in- tip-top fighting shape for the ruggel managerial battle of malaprops and conniving which lasts right up to fight time. Mintz and Tannas, stationed at Kutsher's Country Club, and Weill, who operates from Grossinger's, hurl daily insults and charges. Weill. you hear at one end, will try and have the ring padded or the judges in the bag. * * • Suddenly, Mintz pushed away from the table, on the ready. He let out a roar. Gefuelte fish could wait. He was a manager now and he had found something. The "something" was a fellow seated a few tables over—Mushy McGee, who is Al Weill's aid de camp. "Get outa here you Trojan Native Dancer," Mintz yelled. "You spy! You stool pigeon for Weill! Get out of this camp!" McGee, the culprit, speared one lasi tomato from his salad, then began to leave. Outside, Mushky smiled. "The guy's makin' a big deal of it. I just come here to see friends." "Mintz says he knows about you- and the way you opesate with Weill, like in the card games," somebody said. * * * "Oh," McGee answered. "He means them. Aw, they were funny. Al used to play cards in his old office on Broadway. One guy who used to play with him couldn't hear good, so I'd stand behind the guy, watch his hand, then sing a little tune—'dum ... de ... dum . . . look out for the kings . . . da . . . dee ... he has aces, Al.' "Well, another time, this Bobby North comes in. He can't see good at all, but he can hear. So I go to an old glass partition that wasn't cleaned in 10 years and wright 'J' ... 'A' ... 'K' ... and stuff like that in the dust. Then I'd look at North's hand and point to the letter. "But one day I forgot myself and thought North was' the guy what couldn't hear. So I began to sing again, 'Look out, Al, the bum has jacks . . . look out for the flush . . . dum dee . . . ' "So North, in the middle of this, gets up and yells, 'Oh, yeah, well look out for this!' and he punches me right on the nose." * * * Over at Marciano's camp, it is a subdued Al Weill you find. Al hasn't been feeling too well, so he's taking it easy. "They ain't foolin* me," he snarls. "Them guys is just trying to obligate (he means obliterate) the fact that When I—Rocky, that is— hits Ezzard, he'll leave him for the guys What sweeps the ring." Sports Roundup— Some Problems at Baltusrol By GATLE TALBOT NEW YORK (AP) — Although we might not have been paying strict attention, having been busy getting a couple of prizefighters ready for a meeting tonight, it still seems here that several questions remain to be answered in connection with the National Open Golf tournament starting today at Baltusrol over in Springfield, N. J. The first: Are Ben Hogan and a few days that he was suffering The son of a former Blytheville sports figure last week graduated from Mira Costa, Calif., high school , with nine letters and a trophy for I of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who was his high school athletic efforts. ! runnerup with 4.718 votes. He is Dick Craig, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Craig, former Blytheville residents. Mr. Craig operated a dairy in In Blytheville in the 1930's, was actively interested in local sports and managed a number of top- ranking professional boxers while he made his home here. Dick Craig graduated today after lettering three years in football, basketball! and track. He received a trophy in recognition of his having captained all three teams. Some honors he picked up included president of underclasses and representatives at large to all extracurricular functions; High School body president; presiding judge of Boys League; Mr. Mira Costa High School, and Coronation King and Campus Ruler. Word of his graduation came from Mrs. Craig a former grade-school teacher in Blytheville, who says that Dick wants to farm. The letter was sent to J. P. Friend, Sam Norris and Rock Sali- bft—all old friends of Mr. Craig. The Craigs are parents of another •on, Joe, Jr. The poll's highest individual vote getter still was Orestes (Minnie) Minoso of the Chicago White Sox. He has 7,114 votes, a lead of 102 over Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals. In the poll's sixth tabulation Musial had 7,012 votes. The voting will close July 3. Switzer to Play In All-Star Tiff CHICAGO W) — Veryl Switzer, | Kansas State halfback, has accept- ' ed an invitation to join the College All Stars against the Detroit Lions of the National Football League for the A1J Star game in Soldier Field Aug. 13. Switzer, of Bogue, Kas., is the ' second player to join the 1954 all stars; Zeke Bratkowski of Georgia* signed with the collegians Tuesday. TAKE IT HOME! One Quart $^00 Italian Spaghetti ... Razorback Drive-In needed 11 to stop Roland LaStarza in New York Sept. 24, 1953. TV SET OWNERS IMPORTANT NOTICE If your set is a year or more old, we now have picture tube insurance to offer you. INSURES YOUR FOR ONE YEAR Call or Write for Information Sammy Snead the only entrants? 'The answer to that one, we learn, is no. The course will be alive with other players, many of them good. It's just that the advance stories have been almost entirely concerned with whether Hogan, who has won four opens, will beat Snead, who has made a career of almost winning the big one. Poor Shape Second, there must be many fans who are as honestly confused as this writer is concerning the physical infirmities of the two principal antagonists. Because of the conflicting claims, it appears impossible to say which of them is in worse shape, and it might be necessary to go the full 72 holes to settle the issue. This much is certain—Hogan got sick first. When he landed here more than a week ago the Bantam said he felt so terrible he might not be able to play at all, and that if he did somehow manage to stagger to the first tee he probably would louse up the course. He had a virus that was something awful. To this, Snead responded within with aches and pains through his back and across his shoulders that made it an agony to swing a golf club at all. He said that he, too, might be forced to withdraw. At the last report we saw, that was substantially the way things stood as the two 40-plus and creaking warriors prepared to tee off today. Some observers thought that Hogan weakened his clinical 'report by getting out of bed and shooting a 64 in a practice round last Saturday. A Torture Chamber This latter feat, incidentally, did much toward muddying up the third major question which has caused tempers to flare in advance of today's opening round. Is Baltusrol a regular torture chamber •of a golf course, diabolically lenth- ened and toughened to the point that it is unfair, or is it actually an old ladies' layout waiting to be taken apart? The earliest arrivals, including Snead, played a round or two a fortnight ago and yelled in anguish at the narrow fairways and the high rough. They predicted that GOING PLACES YOU'LL HAVE BETTER TIMES WITH NOW AMERICA'S TOP SELLING STRAIGHT WHISKY AT ANY PRICE f)34 $459 J Pint I & PI KENTUCKY STRAIGHT IQURBON WHISKY • 16 PROOF £ARLY TIMES DISTILLERY COMPANY • LOUISVILLE 1, KENTUCKY four rounds of par 72 would be plenty good enough to win — pro-. viding anyone got lucky enough to shoot that good. Then Hogan dropped in on his shaky pins, surveyed the premises and said that if he ever saw a pitch-and-putt course), this was it. He freely predicted that his own open record of 276 strokes would be smashed to pieces. Then he went out and speared his 64 on National Golf Day. Two Games in Y HSSL This Week Two games are on tap today and tomorrow in the Y's High School Softball League. Today at 6 p.m. in Little Park, time and place of all HSL affairs, the Indians meet the Squirrels. Tomorrow, same time and place, the Red Tops collide with the Rounders. Soldier Out Of Arkansas Amateur Not Residents Of State, Board Rules on Golfers LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Sgt. Earl Mitchell, a sharpshooting soldier from Camp Chaffee, and an Army captain were barred from the annual Arkansas Amateur Golf Tournament yesterday on the charge that they aren't bona fide residents of the state. Directors of the Arkansas State Golf Association, sponsors of the tourney, which opens today, banned Mitchell and Capt. Ed M. McDowell, who lives at Fort Smith. Mitchell lives on the base at Camp Chaffe, but McDowell owns a home in Fort Smith and legally is a resident of the state. The sergeant, regarded as a definite threat to take over the title vacated by Ross Collins, was bitterly disappointed by the decision. "I played in the tournament last year, and the rules have not been changed," he said. ''I have served in the Army in several states and this is the first time I have ever been refused the right to play in any state golf tournament." A spokesman for the golf association directors said Mitchell waJ allowed to play last year at Texarkana because his eligibility wasn't questioned at that time. The soldier lost in the first round to Gene Kenney of Texarkana. Cullum Favored With Mitchell out of the running, and two other top amateurs skipping the tourney, Paul Collum loomed as even a stronger favorite to win this year's title. The "El Dorado shotmaker finished second twice to champion Ross Cllins, who has left the state and isn't eligible to defend the championship. Qualifying rounds over the 6,421- yard Little Rock Country Club course began this morning, with about 250 golfers shooting for the 32 berths in the championship flight. Barber, Birack Out Par for the links, regarded as state, is 71. Besides Mitchell, Miller Barber of Texarkana. and Johnny Buzick o fMonette won't compete. Barber is attending summer school at the University of Arkansas, and Buzick has a leg injury. Martin Tenney of Little Rock, the 1952 champion, has entered, and ex-champs Vince Allison of Fort Smith and Charlie Woodard of Magnolia also will be on hand, scheduled for Friday, with the quarter and semi-finals Saturday and the 36-hole finals Sunday. TERMINIX Bruce Terminix Company Memphis, Tenn. P. O. Box 1271 Phone 62-3531 and dries more air at less costl New Internatiooal Harvester Air Conditioner gives more cooling and denumidifying capacity... yet costs less to operate! Can be decorated to match room. Directional no-draft ventilation. Cools, cleans, filters and dries the air. Low down payment—easy terms Why let hot, humid weather nria your pleasure? Live and sleep hotter with n new TH Air CotxH- tionw. 5 modelo— ft to lh.p.-c» low M Delta Implements inc. "Servic* Holds Our Trade** Blytheville phone 3-6863 ROVAL mm "LET'S RECAP ONE" BURNETT'S ROYAL TIRE SERVICE South Highway 61 Phone 3-8662 Formerly McCaul'i Tire Store